Japanese shipping firm Mitsui OSK Line (MOL) and utility Kyushu Electric Power (Kyuden) have concluded a basic agreement for the supply of LNG to two LNG-fuelled ferries in Japan, MOL said on March 29. 

The ferries - the Sunflower Kurenai and the Sunflower Murasaki – are operated by Ferry Sunflower, a part of MOL Group. The LNG supply is slated to begin around the end of 2022, when the ferries, now under construction, are due to be delivered.

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According to MOL, around 50 metric tons of LNG/day will be supplied via truck-to-ship to these ferries berthed in Beppu Port in Oita Prefecture. “To speed up the fuel supply process, pipes called "skid" will be connected to four tank trucks, allowing them to fuel the vessels simultaneously,” the company said. 

LNG will be supplied to the trucks at the loading station of Oita Liquefied Natural Gas Company, a part of Kyuden Group. Kyuden will sell LNG to Ferry Sunflower through MOL Group company MOL Techno-Trade.  

“MOL, Ferry Sunflower, and Kyuden view this project as an effective means of reducing the carbon emission of vessel operation as global environmental regulations have become stricter,” MOL said. “They will take a proactive stance in promoting the introduction of eco-friendly LNG to help realise a low-carbon society.”